Oil Spills and Health

The transportation of oil and gas products by land and sea create opportunities for unexpected mass exposures in communities that may or may not be prepared for such an event. Oil spills are also very complex events, in that they may have minimal or very serious human health and environmental impacts. The resources here are intended to assist public health practitioners in:

• Understanding the potential physical, mental and community health effects of oil spills;
• Provide guidance regarding public health preparedness and response;
• Provide insight into risk communication for these events.

NCCEH Resources

• Oil spills: Treating patients, counselling communities (2017)
  This article in the BC Medical Journal summarizes key considerations for physicians who encounter oil spill-related complaints from patients.
   
• Oil Spills: Scoping the Issues for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (2017)
  This webinar, delivered as part of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) Seminar series, introduced some of the key issues facing public health practitioners in preparing for and responding to crude oil and other fuel spills.
   
• Health Effects of Oil Spills and Implications for Public Health Planning and Research (2014) 
  This evidence brief provides a condensed review of a report commissioned by Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health entitled (below). These papers synthesized the academic research on the short- and long-term physical and mental health impacts of previous marine spills. The paper also identifies a number of means to mitigate health impacts post-spill and identifies key considerations for public health planning and research.

Selected External Resources

• Short- and long-term health impacts of marine and terrestrial oil spills (2014)
  This evidence review is the uncondensed, original version of the NCCEH resource provided above, which was developed by Vancouver Coastal Health.
   
• Guidance for the Characterization and Management of Public Health Risks from the Acute Release of Chemical of Concern: Crude Oil (2017)
  This webinar is an overview of a crude oil guidance document prepared by Health Canada’s Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit (CEPRU). The completed, publically available document is anticipated in late 2017.
   
• Community Impacts of Fuel Spills: A Case Study from BC’s Central Coast (2017)
  This webinar presented by by Chief Councillor Marilynn Slett (Heiltsuk Nation), Linda Pillsworth (First Nations Health Authority), and Angela Eykelbosh (NCCEH) on the environmental public health response to the impacts of the marine diesel spill that occurred near Bella Bella on October 13, 2016.
   
• The 2013 Lac-Mégantic tragedy: The Public Health response then and now (2016)
  A webinar presented by Dr. Mélissa Généreux, Director of Estrie Public Health, regarding the environmental public health response and long-term follow up to the  Lac-Mégantic rail disaster that occurred on July 6, 2013.
   
• Communication Practices for Oil Spills: Stakeholder Engagement During Preparedness and Response (Walker et al., 2015)
  This academic article usefully summarizes some of the risk communication challenges around oil spills and lays out five “engagement practices” to facilitate communication with the public using the Deepwater Horizon disaster as a case study.